Even though Ye Chen is the direct disciple of the Sword Peak Master, Kong Xiangbei had no fear of him. Offending Ye Chen was no pressure at all. After all, with Ye Chen's talent, it was already good enough to maintain his position as a direct disciple. As for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage? That was nothing more than a pipe dream. A third-grade spiritual root trying to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage? Saying it's harder than reaching the heavens wouldn't be an exaggeration.

  A regur Foundation Establishment Pill might allow you a few more attempts at breaking through. But each attempt still consumes your essence. After two or three tries, you'd have no chance left. Only a supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill could truly allow you to keep trying without depleting your essence. But in the entire Qingyun Sect, there wasn't even a single supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. So, Ye Chen was destined to never reach Foundation Establishment.

  Meanwhile, with my ninth-grade spiritual roots, my chances of reaching Foundation Establishment are extremely high. The future is on my side. Once I reach Foundation Establishment, there will naturally be ways to deal with Ye Chen. But today, I'll first teach Ye Chen a lesson to vent my anger. Let this lick spirit know the consequences of competing with me for a woman.

  Kong Xiangbei's sinister eyes fixed on Ye Chen, contempting how to teach him a lesson. Killing Ye Chen was definitely out of the question. On the stage, there were elders watching. It was impossible to cause a fatality. But not rushing to defeat him, instead injuring Ye Chen and slowly torturing him was certainly possible.

  Thinking of this, a cruel smile appeared on Kong Xiangbei's face. But just at that moment, a voice exploded in his mind: "Fool, dodge now!" It was his grandfather sending a message. Kong Xiangbei also sensed something unusual above his head and immediately raised a protective shield, flying to the side. But it was already too te.

  A giant hand of spiritual energy, almost as tall as a person, appeared out of nowhere and smmed down from above Kong Xiangbei. Accompanied by excmations and an angry shout of "Stop," it struck without hesitation. The bricks below the stage exploded instantly, and disciples within hundreds of meters felt a massive tremor.

  As the spiritual energy hand slowly dissipated, everyone stared wide-eyed at the stage. There was a clear palm print on the stage, at least half a meter deep. Kong Xiangbei y within the palm print, eyes bulging, mouth bleeding, and limbs twisted unnaturally. Clearly, they were broken.

  This tragic scene shocked all the onlookers. Kong Xiangbei was somewhat famous within the sect. As the grandson of an elder, his strength was not weak. Though he hadn't broken through to the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining for two years, his strength was only slightly weaker than the first tier. In every grand competition, he almost always secured a spot in the top ten. Among the Qingyun Sect disciples, he was definitely considered a strong contender.

  Yet such a figure couldn't even withstand a single move from the lick spirit direct disciple everyone underestimated? And Kong Xiangbei's miserable state certainly wasn't because he was paid off. After all, he was the elder's own grandson; how much money would it take to endure this?

  So, this lick spirit direct disciple, who was often the subject of gossip, wasn't just a scker? The ordinary disciples were undoubtedly shocked by the reality before them. Even Li Xiaoyao, who was waiting to see Ye Chen make a fool of himself, and several other direct disciples were stunned. The magic Ye Chen used was terrifyingly powerful. But most importantly, the spell was almost silent. It didn't require any incantations, and the fluctuation of magical power during the formation of the handprint was minimized to the extreme, making it extremely difficult to detect. Moreover, it was too fast, making it impossible to defend against.

  If they were caught off guard and hit by this giant handprint, the consequences would be equally unpredictable. Now, those who hadn't taken Ye Chen seriously were starting to reconsider how to deal with this troublesome move if they encountered him...

  ...

  On the stage, the steward was still in shock, unable to announce Ye Chen's victory. A white-haired figure rushed onto the stage, cradling Kong Xiangbei and feeding him a pill while gring at Ye Chen. "I told you to stop, why didn't you?"

  Even without doing anything, the terrifying pressure instantly bore down on Ye Chen. Foundation Establishment stage! Ye Chen activated his magical power to resist the pressure. "In the sect's grand competition, there's no stopping when you want to. I can't just stand there and take a beating!"

  When the other party shouted, Ye Chen already knew who it was. Kong Xiangbei's grandfather, Kong Xiangli, an elder of the Talisman Peak, at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. He was also Sun Ye's master. But even knowing the other party was a mid-Foundation Establishment strongman, Ye Chen wasn't intimidated at all. Ye Chen was never one to avoid conflict. If a grudge was formed, there was no fear in deepening it.

  Ye Chen's attitude made Kong Xiangli's expression colder. "Why are you so ruthless to your fellow disciple?" Ye Chen shook his head. "Even though he sent me a message saying that once he breaks through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he has plenty of ways to py me to death, I wasn't angry, nor did I want to kill him because of it!"

  "I just didn't expect him to be so weak. Had I known, I wouldn't have wasted my magical power!" "I'm really sorry about that!" Ye Chen's nearly provocative words made the killing intent in Kong Xiangli's eyes even more intense. The pressure grew stronger, as if it would crush Ye Chen to death. Ye Chen didn't resist directly but instead raised his head and shouted, "Master, an elder is bullying me..."

  Upon hearing Ye Chen call for his master, Kong Xiangli's eyes, which were filled with killing intent, suddenly became clear. The Foundation Establishment stage pressure retreated like a tide. After giving Ye Chen a gnce, Kong Xiangli flew away with his grandson.

  Ye Chen's lips curled into a smile. The cultivation world isn't just about fighting; it's also about human retionships. After nearly a year in the sect, Ye Chen understood his master better. A typical man of few words but ruthless actions. He had chased and beaten the Law Peak Master several times. With such a master backing him, who was Kong Xiangli?

  So, watching Kong Xiangli's retreating figure, Ye Chen shouted, "An elder interfering in the competition, bullying the weak, I'll report this to my master in full detail and ask him to uphold justice for me!" Ye Chen could clearly see that after he finished speaking, Kong Xiangli's body stiffened and staggered slightly. But he quickly flew away!

  Ye Chen looked at the steward and snapped his fingers. The steward, who had been in a daze, quickly reacted and announced, "Ye Chen wins!" Only then did Ye Chen show a satisfied smile, stepping down from the stage and heading back to Sword Peak. Today's match was over. Ye Chen was going back to Sword Peak to lodge a compint. Of course, he had to compin; Ye Chen was never one to suffer losses. If he could fight, he would; if not, he would compin. In any case, he would never suffer a loss.

  Even in school, Ye Chen was like this. If there were bullies in the css, he would fight if he could win. If not, he would run to the teacher. This approach made Ye Chen the person the school bullies least wanted to provoke.

  ...

  After Ye Chen left, the silent scene erupted in an uproar. Ye Chen's match completely changed everyone's perception of him. Previously, all the disciples thought Ye Chen, the lick spirit direct disciple, was just a useless person who got in through connections. But once he made a move, his combat power was terrifying. Kong Xiangbei was spped half to death. Most importantly, even when facing a mid-Foundation Establishment elder, Ye Chen wasn't intimidated at all. He even dared to talk back. Such a bold attitude was a stark contrast to the harmless lick spirit who couldn't wait a day to buy gifts for Yao Xi in Qingyun City.

  All the disciples suddenly realized that their direct disciple, though a lick spirit, wasn't the waste they thought he was... Could it be that Ye Chen was accepted as a direct disciple not just because of connections but because he had other unique qualities? In any case, the news that the lick spirit direct disciple wasn't a waste shocked all the disciples of Qingyun Sect. Today, Ye Chen became the top figure in Qingyun Sect. Tomorrow's grand competition would undoubtedly be even more lively.

  CPDD